Confessions of a Superman
by Jeune Ecrivain
Summary: When a teenage boy recounts reminisces of girl troubles that Superman shared with him, 25yearold Lana Lang gets the biggest clue of her life. PART V UP AT LAST! MAJOR CLANA! R
1. Part I: Familiar Reminisces

Disclaimer: The television series "Smallville" is owned by the WB. Characters on which it is based are owned by DC Comics and were created by Jerry Siegler and Joe Schuster. This fanfiction is purely for entertainment, and no profit is being made from it.  
  
Confessions of a Superman  
  
By Jeune Ecrivain  
  
Rating: G, maybe PG  
  
Genre: futurefic, drama, romance  
  
Summary: When Superman comes up in conversation, 25-year-old Lana Lang gets the biggest clue of her life.  
  
PART I  
  
"Checkmate."  
  
14-year-old Josh Harton looked impishly at his Big Sister. She had raven hair, a pair of captivating green eyes, and thin eyebrows. Were she not 25, he would've had a crush on her.  
  
Lana Lang pouted. "You really are good at this!"  
  
"Told ya."  
  
Lana changed the subject. "How're things going with Jennifer?"  
  
Josh blushed slightly, as he did whenever Lana mentioned his crush. "I still can't ask her out. I get too nervous."  
  
Lana chuckled. "Don't worry. You'll get there."  
  
Josh sighed resignedly. "I'll bet Superman would've had no trouble getting a girl."  
  
"Don't be too sure," said a voice from behind.  
  
Josh turned and Lana peered at the source of the unexpected comment. It was Arthur Frederic, Josh's friend.  
  
"Hey, Art," Lana greeted.  
  
Arthur shrugged. "Hey," he said. "Funny you should mention Superman and girls. I met him once."  
  
Josh rolled his eyes. "He likes to brag about that."  
  
Arthur glared at Josh. "Anyway, I was having a little girl trouble myself, so to make me feel a little better he told me a little story about when he was a teenager. His powers actually got in the way of him and this girl he liked."  
  
"How?" Lana asked, intrigued.  
  
Josh sat down, and assumed a sort of mythical air about him to complement his storytelling. "Superman grew up in a small town, I think on a farm," he began. "His entire childhood, even as a teenager, he was in love with the same girl."  
  
"How sweet," Lana beamed. The Man of Steel suddenly seemed more human.  
  
"But he had a lot of problems," Arthur continued. "He could never tell her the truth about himself. He only found out himself when he was 15 or 16, but still.He was always afraid that she would freak out if she found out he was from another planet. But even before that, for the longest time, this girl would wear this necklace with a piece of kryptonite in it, so he could never get close to her."  
  
"Aw, why couldn't she have taken it off?" Lana said sympathetically.  
  
"It was of great sentimental value. But she did. She stopped wearing it sometime after that. But even then, Superman had some bad people to deal with. Mutants and stuff It's probably how he developed his hero complex. And he figured, as he still does, that anyone who knows about him could be a target, so there was another reason he couldn't tell. Protecting the people he cared for. Plus, his parents were really cautious because they didn't want him to become some minion of science."  
  
"I see," Lana said, slowly gaining a surprising awareness that being superhuman isn't all it's cracked up to be.  
  
"So, he and this girl really started to become good friends after she stopped wearing the necklace. Eventually they did get together briefly, but then he went through this period where he ran away with this special kind of kryptonite that messed with his personality."  
  
"Why would he do that? What did it do to him?"  
  
"Apparently, he found out his biological dad had sent him to Earth to conquer, and he didn't want to. But his dad said if he resisted, those he loved would suffer. So, he tried to destroy the ship that he'd come to Earth in, which was the only link to his biological dad. He ended up blowing up his farm and killing his mom's unborn kid."  
  
"Oh, my God!" Lana said. "He must've felt terrible."  
  
"He did. Especially since his dad told him if he tried to resist he'd hurt the people he loves.Anyway, this special kryptonite basically makes him more and more aggressive, selfish, and just plain mean. It made him feel good, though. Kinda like a really bad drug."  
  
"Wow!" Josh said, his eyes wide.  
  
"When he finally came back, back to his normal self and to the town, he had done irreparable damage to some of his relationships. Him and this girl were back to being just friends. She had always been suspicious of him, always trying to get him to open up so they could become even closer, but after this she never trusted him quite as much again. And he was even more convinced that knowing would put her in danger. He said that the hardest thing he ever had to do was lie to her and keep pushing her away."  
  
"I can imagine," Lana said.  
  
"He even told me about this one time he saved her in a tornado. They announced about it at the Prom, and he had a bad hunch, so he had to leave his date, who was also a good friend of his! When he got there, she was up in the tornado, and he got up there and shielded her from flying stuff and saved her."  
  
"So she found out?" Lana asked anxiously.  
  
Arthur shook his head. "Later, he had to deny that he was ever there. He says that was probably the beginning of her growing distrust. He hated to lie to her, and she probably never truly believed him."  
  
"Wow!" Josh said.  
  
"I know," Arthur said. "Superman is more human than we tend to think."  
  
"I know how that would be, too," Lana said. "I was in a tornado once too, and." she stopped in mid-sentence. That wasn't the only part of Arthur's story that aligned itself with one of her own memories. For starters, she too had once worn a kryptonite necklace. Suddenly, she was feeling stupid.  
  
"What?" Josh asked, puzzled at Lana's bemused expression.  
  
How could she not have recognized parts of Superman's reminisces earlier? At lightning speed, her mind was making connections between Arthur's tale and her own memories; seeing consistent analogies between the two; putting two and two together and coming up with a very shocking four.  
  
"Oh, my God!" Lana said softly and bemusedly.  
  
"What?" Josh asked again.  
  
Lana shook her head. "Nothing," she said. But she was lying. Josh couldn't know. But she did. And as soon as she could, she was going to pay a visit to the man known as Superman. 


	2. Part II: Lana Confronts the Man of Steel

Confessions of a Superman  
  
By Jeune Ecrivain  
  
Rating: G, maybe PG  
  
Genre: futurefic, drama, romance  
  
Summary: When Superman comes up in conversation, 25-year-old Lana Lang gets the biggest clue of her life.  
  
PART II  
  
Lana waited anxiously in front of the apartment door. Her emotions where still cycling between angry, shocked, thrilled, and sad. She had so much to say to this "Man of Steel." So much to say to the small town farm boy who had courted her heart only to refuse it when she finally offered it years ago.  
  
The door opened. There stood a man in khaki pants and a cardigan. His hair looked like a shorter version of the classic Beatle look. A pair of mildly thick glasses added depth to his face, and he had one of the most solid builds Lana had ever seen.  
  
"Lana?" asked Clark Kent. His mouth broke into a wide smile. "What are you doing here? It's great to see you." He embraced her eagerly.  
  
She returned his hug, wishing for that moment that this was what he obviously thought it was: just a friendly visit from a close high school pal. But she had issues to settle with him.  
  
"I wanted to talk to you about something," she said vaguely, glaring at him solemnly.  
  
Clark looked slightly disconcerted at her expression, but answered, "Sure. C'mon in."  
  
Lana entered the modest apartment. It was unusually tidy for a male inhabitant, which seemed to reflect Clark's dress patterns. He dressed with a subtle preppiness she didn't recall ever being Clark's style in high school. But he seemed to have adapted to it well.  
  
This only reminded her of her original intentions, since it occurred to her that the glasses and the cardigan were likely devices of disguise, by which he separated Clark Kent from his caped alter-ego.  
  
"Can I get you something?" Clark asked.  
  
"No," Lana said softly. "Thank you." She swallowed, then proceeded. "Clark, I have some important matters to discuss." She sat down on the nearest couch she could find. Clark followed her example, sitting in an armchair across from her.  
  
"Remember I told you I volunteered at the Big Brother/Big Sister?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Well, my Little Brother is this boy named Josh. And he has this friend named Arthur."  
  
"Yeah?" Clark was still clearly oblivious to the direction in which this discussion was going. Lana didn't know what she was going to do when it did become clear to him. He would probably try to deny it, as he had always done in conversations of this nature. But this time, she reminded herself, she was sure. Furthermore, she wasn't accusing him of some abstract secret. This time, she knew what this mysterious burden was that he always seemed to be carrying.  
  
"Arthur told me and Josh that he had met Superman once," Lana continued, watching for even the slightest reaction at the mention of Superman.  
  
She might have seen a flicker in his expression, but he smiled quickly and said, "I'll bet that was fun. I wouldn't mind meeting the guy, myself."  
  
"Funny you should say that," Lana muttered bitterly without thinking.  
  
Clark looked quizzical. "Why?"  
  
"Arthur told me that, at the time, he was having trouble with girls, so to help him out, Superman told him about this girl that he was in love with.all through his childhood."  
  
Lana definitely saw a split-second facial reaction this time. The light was beginning to dawn.  
  
"Apparently Superman was in love with a girl who used to wear a kryptonite necklace, so he couldn't get close to her until she stopped wearing it when she was about 15. He wanted to be with her, but he felt he had to push her away to protect her because of his powers. She was always trying to get him to open up, but he never would."  
  
Clark was clearly getting uneasy. He was not as good at hiding some things as he would have liked. Appearing disgruntled, he stood up, walked with his back to her to the window, and looked out. "Lana, I hope you didn't come here to remind me of how I hurt you by being secretive. I had my reasons, just as Superman did his. We've been over this."  
  
Lana scoffed angrily. "Do you think I'm retarded?" she said, standing up with the force of her anger. "Arthur said that Superman ran away because he thought he was a threat to his friends and family! He was under the influence of some special kryptonite that made him act far different from himself! Superman saved this girl from a tornado, Clark, and he lied to her about it, told her he was never there!" Her fury ran out with that last exclamation, but a kind of hurt and frustration remained. "Call me crazy, but all that sounds a little too familiar! I wore a necklace with a piece of a green meteorite in it! You ran away for three months, and during that time, you were definitely not yourself! And let's not forget the tornado! Deny it all you want, Clark, but you were there! And you know what? Superman's habit of always being around in an emergency, always being there when someone needs him.It really puts me in mind of a certain farm boy I grew up with!" She paused, wanting very much to hear his reaction.  
  
For a moment, he stood rigid and said nothing, his back still facing her. "Lana.I know there are a lot of coincidences, but you are really barking up the wrong tree."  
  
The tears that had been hiding in her eyes burst out. But she was determined to remain stern. "Turn around," she said, a sort of menacing tone in her voice. The idea that had struck her was illogical, naively sentimental, but she didn't seem to care. She had a feeling in her gut. She was going on blind faith.  
  
Slowly, Clark turned around, the stress showing on his face. Neither said a word.  
  
Lana walked up to him so that her chest was a mere inch from his. She looked through the lenses of his glasses into the blue-green eyes that usually held such warmth and charm. She noted the pain in his eyes at seeing her tear-stained face, and on that note, she raised a tender hand and gently removed his glasses. Clark made no protest. He was paralyzed by her touch. Lana folded up the glasses and put them in her hip pocket. She then turned and stared straight into Clark's eyes. "Look me in the eye," she commanded softly but no less firmly, "and tell me you're not that boy whose powers had to be kept secret. Tell me you're not the boy who used his gifts to help those he cared for, and others as well. Tell me you're not the man who still does; the hero who hides his identity behind a blue body suit and red cape. Look me in the eyes and tell me you're not Superman."  
  
"Lana, I am not Superman," Clark said sternly.  
  
"Nice try, Clark, but that's my nose," Lana said. "My eyes are up here." Why was he so stubborn about this?  
  
"Lana."  
  
"Do it."  
  
Lana's voice made it clear that he had no choice. He looked into the green eyes that used to captivate him. The eyes that still did. The eyes that were now tearful, all because of him. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. Knowing that if he tried to avoid her eyes, she would call him on it and would accept no answer he gave while looking at anything else, he realized he had no way out. All those years of lying to the girl he loved, he had maxed himself out. He had hated lying to her then, and he hated lying to her now. His brain told him to lie once more, for her sake, but his heart, which had cooperated only reluctantly all those years, finally put its foot down.  
  
Clark broke away from her stare. "Why are you doing this?" he almost yelled in frustration. He couldn't do it. Lying to her under normal circumstances was bad enough, but given no choice but to say it to her tearful yet determined eyes, his will failed him.  
  
"You can't say it, can you?" Lana said in bitter triumph.  
  
Clark's voice became hushed and resigned. "No," he said, swallowing.  
  
"Because it's true."  
  
Clark nodded.  
  
"You are Superman."  
  
"No," Clark shook his head. "Superman is a figurehead. That's all he is. He's an image; a tool; a symbol. I invented Superman so I could use my powers to help people and still live a normal life. But in order for that to work, people must never know the man behind the cape."  
  
"I understand," Lana said, feeling a growing sympathy for a man who was perhaps the most burdened person in the world. "But why, Clark? Why push away those who love you because of a figurehead? I would've kept your secret. Pete too. Even Chloe."  
  
"You would've hated me."  
  
"You may be an alien, Clark, but you're more human than many of us claim to be. I wouldn't have cared. I'd have still loved you. And that stuff about knowing who you are making me a target.I don't care. Besides, I still managed to get into a lot of trouble. If anything, it would've helped to know why you were always there. And as long as I don't let on that there's even anything to know about you, why would anyone come after me for that reason?"  
  
Clark shook his head. "Lana.I came to Earth in the meteor shower. Chances are, the ship that brought me here provoked it. I killed your parents, Lana!"  
  
"You think I would've blamed you for my parents' death?" Lana said incredulously. "Clark," she added in a desperately reassuring voice, "that was not your fault!" She stared at him, wondering why he had to put such a morbid spin on his albeit bizarre origins. "Why, Clark?" she repeated. "You don't wanna go around telling just anybody, but your closest friends? We could've helped you. It would've been a lot easier to carry this burden if you had a few trusted friends you could talk to about it? Why were you so paranoid?"  
  
Clark braced himself. "I did have someone. My parents.and Pete."  
  
Lana cocked an eyebrow. "Pete knew?"  
  
"He found my spaceship in the attic, so.we had to tell him."  
  
"Well, I rest my case, then," Lana said. "Nothing bad happened to Pete, and your secret never got out."  
  
"Hey, don't ever think it was easy," Clark reminded her. "I wanted nothing more than to have you as a girlfriend, to be close to you. I hated having to lie to you and push you away. But I had to."  
  
"No, you didn't," Lana insisted. "Ok, maybe you did at first, when we were getting to know each other, but.you really meant a lot to me. You still do. If keeping an important secret was all you asked of me in order for us to be together, I would've done it in a heartbeat." Clark opened his moth, but she anticipated his thoughts. "And what were you protecting me from, anyway? I still had a lot of freaks and bad guys come after me, even without knowing the truth about you. If anything, letting me know would've made it easier for you to protect me from them."  
  
"It's not that simple."  
  
"Because you won't let it be," Lana said with a soft stomp of her foot. "Don't you get it, Clark? The people that love you, they almost have a right to know, especially when you always mysteriously show up to save them when they're in trouble, often surviving what should be fatal situations in the process. And your friends may have been able to help you keep your secret from people that you couldn't trust. I know now that having these powers can be hard, but you made it even harder on yourself by not even letting those closest to you in on it."  
  
Clark didn't know what to say. Fortunately, he didn't have to say anything. A knock sounded at his door once more. Clark tried to regain a less strained facial expression as he opened the door, Lana standing there to let him know under no uncertain terms that their discussion would be resumed as soon as the visitor left.  
  
A young African-American man greeted Clark's view. "Pete," Clark said, surprised.  
  
Before Clark could invite him in, Pete Ross spoke. "Clark, I just stopped by to warn you. Chloe's on her way here. Like her usual self, she just couldn't resist looking into Superman's origins."  
  
"Not her, too!" Clark groaned.  
  
"What do you mean 'not her, too?'" Pete asked, puzzled. "Why the 'too?'" he asked, concern appearing on his face.  
  
"She's figured me out, hasn't she?"  
  
"I'm afraid so," Pete nodded.  
  
Clark opened the door wider to let Lana into Pete's line of view. "That makes two of 'em," he said resignedly.  
  
"Lana," Pete swallowed.  
  
Lana gave him a small smile.  
  
"What happened?" Pete asked, entering the apartment and closing the door behind him.  
  
"Do you remember I told you about that boy I saved. Said he was having girl troubles, so I told him about what I went through with Lana?" Clark started  
  
"Yeah," Pete said, eyeing Lana. He was leery of being so open around her.  
  
"Well, Lana entered the Big Brother/Big Sister program, and this boy was her Little Brother's friend. Apparently, he told my story back to Lana, and she recognized herself."  
  
"So."  
  
"She knows. I tried to keep the secret one more time, but it was no use. I just couldn't do it," Clark sat down with his last statement. Superman was exhausted.  
  
"Wow!" Pete marveled. He turned to Lana. "How does it feel to finally understand why Clark was the way he was?" he asked.  
  
Lana thought about it, and was a little surprised at the answer. "Relieved," she said.  
  
Pete turned back to Clark. "Okay, so Lana knows. What do we do about Chloe? She'll probably be here soon."  
  
Clark paused. "We tell her," he said bemusedly.  
  
"Really?" said Pete skeptically. "You sure?"  
  
"Knowing her, there's probably no feasible way of explaining whatever evidence she's piled up anyway," Clark said. "Besides," he added with a nod towards Lana, "I've decided I'm going to stop lying to those that love me and that I know I can trust."  
  
Lana smiled gently at him.  
  
"Lana just reminded me of how much I hated having to lie to everyone even in high school. We're not kids anymore, and after all these years, I think she deserves to know."  
  
"So, no pretenses?" Pete asked, starting to like the idea.  
  
"No pretenses. I'm done deceiving my closest friends."  
  
"Clark." Lana began.  
  
Clark looked up at her.  
  
"I hope you don't think I don't feel for you. That must've been really tough, having to keep a secret like that."  
  
"Thank you, Lana. That means a lot," Clark nodded sincerely. "I'm just sorry I had to hurt you in the process."  
  
"That's in the past," Lana shrugged. "It's over now."  
  
"I know what you mean by 'relieved,'" Clark said, surprised at his own relief. "So, we're good?" Clark queried.  
  
Lana nodded warmly. "Yeah. We are." 


	3. Part III: Chloe and a Promise

Confessions of a Superman  
  
By Jeune Ecrivain  
  
Rating: G, maybe PG  
  
Genre: futurefic, drama, romance  
  
Summary: When Superman comes up in conversation, 25-year-old Lana Lang gets the biggest clue of her life.  
  
PART III  
  
"Hey, Clark!" Lana jumped up with the force of a sudden idea.  
  
"What?" Clark grinned, now downright happy that there were no more secrets between him and Lana.  
  
"Show me."  
  
"Show you what?" Clark asked.  
  
She gave him a look.  
  
Clark grinned again, this time knowingly. Moving at super-speed, he brushed his thick hair back and took off his khakis, socks, cardigan, and underlying shirt.  
  
Lana watched in awe at Clark's blurred, lightning-quick movements. She watched as the tan and white of Clark's outfit blended into and then gave way to blue, yellow, and red. In a matter of seconds, the bookish journalist was gone, and in his place stood a man in a blue leotard with bright red boots, a red pelvic region, a yellow belt, a red cape, and his trademark 'S' emblem displayed proudly on his chest. Lana stared in glee, marveling at how the same man could switch back and forth from being so mild-mannered to having such a commanding presence.  
  
"So this is Superman," she said contentedly.  
  
"This is Superman," Pete confirmed.  
  
Clark opened his mouth to respond, but once again a knock at the door cut him short. Clark turned his gaze to the door and focused his eyes on it. The door became transparent, and there stood a colorfully dressed young woman with shoulder-length blonde hair and wide blue eyes.  
  
"It's Chloe."  
  
"Show-off," Lana teased.  
  
"You know what." Clark half-smiled. I must be drunk with relief that Lana knows my secret, Clark thought to himself, marveling at the boldness of the idea that had suddenly struck him. Still, he mused, if done cautiously, it could very well be worth it. He x-rayed the door once more, as well as the surrounding wall, to make sure Chloe was the only one within eyeshot. Then, before anyone could say anything, he moved for the door, turned the knob, and opened it.  
  
Lana gasped, and Pete was stunned.  
  
Chloe had an entire strategy planned out. She was going to greet him as she usually would, converse lightly for a while, find some way to bring up Superman, and then gradually bring about the moment of truth. Her confidence in this plan put a smug smile on her face right up until the Man of Steel himself opened the door.  
  
Moving with almost cat-like swiftness, Clark pulled Chloe in to his apartment and closed the door.  
  
"You think anybody saw us?" Clark asked, momentarily serious. His careful eye had detected no one, but he wanted to be sure.  
  
"No," Pete said. "I watched. No one was out there." He then caught sight of Chloe's face and snickered.  
  
Clark took one look at Chloe's stunned face and chuckled heartily. "You know." he began, "I never would've thought that Lana Lang would beat Chloe 'Wall-of-Weird' Sullivan to figuring out who I was," he mused.  
  
Chloe didn't respond. She was taken aback by Superman's total lack of pretense. She had expected to end up prying the truth out of a bookish reporter. What was supposed to have been a one-on-one confrontation with her at the conversational steering wheel had become a small class reunion in which she was the one caught off guard.  
  
"Chloe," Clark began with a gentle Kent smile on his face, "I'm not going to try to deny what you've apparently found out."  
  
Chloe swallowed and gave a small smile in return. "Oh," she said, not knowing what else to say. "So, it is you, Clark."  
  
Clark nodded.  
  
Then her eyes fell on Pete and narrowed in suspicion. "You. You gave him the heads up on what I was up to, didn't you?"  
  
"Well, yeah," Clark said, "but it was really Lana who convinced me to be honest with you."  
  
"Lana," Chloe said as if noticing her for the first time. "You.know?" She looked around as she said this. All three of her companions nodded. "Yeah," Lana confirmed. She then turned to Clark. "Uh, Clark, joke's over. You can change back now." Despite what she had said, she was obviously still amused. "Not that I mind Superman," she added quickly.  
  
"Oh, right," Clark nodded and, in a few seconds, stood before them in his khakis and cardigan once more, which seemed to help Chloe's confidence immensely.  
  
"So, this is the mystery that Clark Kent carried with him all these years," the ditzy blonde said. "I knew it!"  
  
Clark nodded. "Listen, Chloe, I trust you. I don't think I need to impress upon you how important it is that this stays between us," he said, doing a circular motion with his finger to indicate all those in the room.  
  
Chloe grew serious. "No. I understand. My lips are sealed."  
  
Clark nodded appreciatively. "Thank you."  
  
Chloe smiled again. "It's just that.I'm kinda relieved. This explains so much."  
  
"Relief. That seems to be the order of the day," Lana quipped.  
  
Clark chuckled softly. "My dad is probably going to have a cow when he hears about this," he realized. "If there was ever one person who was more scared than I was about people finding out my secret, it's him."  
  
"Yeah. I remember how he was when I found out," Pete added.  
  
"Well, I hope he knows I would never tell anyone." Chloe began.  
  
Clark cut her off. "I don't think trust is the big issue," he said. "The main thing I'm concerned about - and I think this is Dad's main concern, too - is that you must not only pretend that you don't know that I'm Superman, you must also pretend that there's nothing special TO know about Clark Kent. Because if some enemy of mine gets it in his head that you know who Superman is, it would be all too easy for him to put a gun to your head or something and demand that you tell him. Also, even if he didn't need one of you and just figured out my identity on his own, he may still target one of the many people I care for just because it's the only way he can hurt me."  
  
Chloe and Lana both nodded in understanding, both gaining new insight into why Clark had always been so secretive.  
  
Clark, who had been serious but far from morbid, suddenly grew grim. "And while we're on the subject, let's get one thing straight here and now: all three of you, if that does happen; if someone does threaten your life or even anything close to that if you don't reveal who I am, I want you all to promise me that you will tell whoever it is the truth." His eyes moved from Chloe to Pete to Lana, making sure they understood. "You tell them, and let me deal with them. Do not put your lives on the line. Keeping the secret is important, but it's not worth any single one of you." He stared into each pair of eyes, impressing upon them how serious he was. "Promise me."  
  
Lana swallowed. She didn't want to be a liability to Clark's secret. He never stops playing the hero, she mused sardonically in her mind. Her eyes met his, and his plead to hers.  
  
"Promise me, Lana."  
  
She swallowed again. "I promise," she said heavily.  
  
Clark gave her a small appreciative smile, then turned to Chloe. "Chloe?"  
  
"Clark, are you sure?" Chloe asked. "If some villain knows who you are -"  
  
Clark cut her off. "I'll deal with them. I had to deal with two people who discovered my secret back in Smallville, and I can do it again. Please, Chloe. I need to feel that you're all as safe as you can be with this knowledge."  
  
It was Chloe's turn to swallow. "I promise," she finally uttered.  
  
"Pete?"  
  
Pete looked skeptical, but nodded in resignation. "Yeah," he conceded, knowing Clark wouldn't take no for an answer. "I promise."  
  
"Good," Clark sighed. He then felt the need to lighten the mood. "So, enough about that stuff. Chloe, my natural-born journalist, tell me what I'm sure will be the interesting tale of how you solved the mystery of me," he grinned lopsidedly.  
  
Chloe grinned back and assumed the stance of the storyteller. Like children waiting to hear a bedtime story, the others gathered around her. 


	4. Part IV: Chloe's Storyand Clark's Too

Confessions of a Superman  
  
By Jeune Ecrivain  
  
Rating: G, maybe PG  
  
Genre: futurefic, drama, romance  
  
Summary: When Superman comes up in conversation, 25-year-old Lana Lang gets the biggest clue of her life.  
  
PART IV  
  
"Okay," Chloe began. "The first thing that struck me was that Superman's only physical vulnerability just happened to be the very same meteor rocks that turned Smallville into a mutant farm."  
  
"Mutant farm," Pete repeated. "How vivid."  
  
Chloe continued. "And Superman said in that interview with my cousin Lois, who, by the way, I still can't believe became a journalist, that he came to Earth as a very small child and was raised by an Earth family. Naturally, he didn't say where, but because, like I said, the meteor rocks that make him sick were most abundant in Smallville, I had already surmised where."  
  
"It kinda makes sense, in a twisted way," Lana observed. "Us Earthlings got weird powers from those meteors from Clark's home planet, but it has the opposite effect on someone from that planet."  
  
"I prefer the term 'birth planet,'" said Clark. "Earth has always been and always will be my home. Home is where the heart is." He said the last part with a furtive glance at Lana.  
  
"Anyway," Chloe resumed. "I knew Superman was a Smallvillian. That really piqued my interest. I mean, there was a chance that I could've gone to school with him or something and never known it. Which, as it turns out I did! But at first, I never would've imagined that I'd known him so well!"  
  
"Neither would I," said Lana.  
  
"I knew a lot longer than you girls did," Pete remarked, "and-"  
  
"WHAT?!" Chloe cut him off.  
  
"Oh, right," Pete digressed sheepishly. "You missed the part where I found Clark's spaceship and found out the truth back in high school."  
  
"HIGH SCHOOL?!" Chloe repeated. "You knew all this time!"  
  
Pete threw his hands up in meek self-defense. "I was sworn to secrecy! Mr. Kent was so worried that if anyone found out, even Clark's best friends, Clark would eventually be taken away to be studied and dissected!" he protested. "Don't look at me like that! I *wanted* to tell you! Heck, I wanted to tell the whole world at first!"  
  
Chloe's I-can't-believe-you-didn't-tell-me look eased slightly, and she grudgingly shrugged it off and resumed her story. "Anyway, I did some real digging. I pulled out everything I had ever posted on the old Wall of Weird."  
  
"You mean to tell me you still have all that stuff?!" It was Pete's turn to be incredulous. "Why don't you just go all the way and change your middle name to Paranormal or something?"  
  
Chloe shot him a look, and Pete shut up. "I looked all through it," she continued, "for any mutants with powers that resembled Superman's. I didn't find anything worth looking into, so I decided to take another look at Superman himself. I pulled up the latest picture, and that's when I noticed...I don't think I would've seen it if I hadn't been subconsciously looking for it, but...I looked at it and Superman just suddenly reminded me of my favorite farmboy! There was more experience in his eyes, to be sure, and the hairstyle really changed his look, but it was still there!"  
  
"I remember when I first saw reports of Superman," Pete supplemented. "I thought it was just some very well-staged hoax until I read about some of the things he could do and saw a close picture. Then I realized..."  
  
"It's amazing how well he hides it," Lana remarked. "I doubt anyone who hasn't known Clark for so long and as well as we do could've figured it out, even with many of the same clues."  
  
"That's good," Clark stated. "It means my secret's safe."  
  
Chloe resumed, on a roll. "After I saw the resemblance, a lot of memories started coming back to me. I remembered that for the longest time you couldn't go near Lana without getting all clumsy and pale. I never knew until just then that it was her kryptonite necklace! Clark and Lana only really started getting to know each other after she stopped wearing it. Then I remembered when you saved me from being buried alive by Deputy Watts! I have no idea why it didn't occur to me then, but no human could've opened that steel box without the key, but I heard someone just rip it off, but when I opened my eyes, there you were! A lot of things like that suddenly made sense!"  
  
"It was the mystery of Clark Kent finally solved!" Lana diagnosed.  
  
"And then I returned to one of the first questions I ever had about our Man of Steel," Chloe said, beginning to draw her tale to a close. "He doesn't wear a mask, so how does he hide his identity. I considered my prime suspect, Clark, and remembered that, since high school, he had conveniently started to wear glasses. The pieces were really falling into place. I mean, why would anyone wear glasses when they could just as easily wear contacts. The answer hit me. Contacts can't distort the eyes and therefore aren't a good disguise."  
  
"Bravo, Chloe!" Clark congratulated her. "You are the master of deductive reasoning!"  
  
Pete chuckled in mock derision. "What'd you expect? Paranormal Sullivan here has had a lot of practice."  
  
Chloe smirked at him, then turned to Clark. "But there's still one part of the tale that has yet to be told."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
She looked at Clark as if it were obvious. "Where did you ever get the idea of donning a blue and red costume and having a dual identity?"  
  
Clark laughed. He looked around, and saw that Lana and Pete were also wondering about this now. He smiled his wide Kent grin and commenced his own tale. "Well, I've always wanted to use my powers to help people. But I had to be very careful when I did for fear of being discovered."  
  
All six eyes were on him, urging him to continue.  
  
"Then came Psych 101. The first assignment the professor gave us was to do an experiment in which we came up with some kind of disguise and tried fooling people into thinking we were two different people. The idea was to test how changing a few things about one's appearance can affect people's perception. So I borrowed Grandpa Hiram's reading glasses and started wearing them on campus. Then, I would visit a popular café that a lot of other students went to without the glasses and with my hair brushed back." Clark shook his head in awe. "It worked like a charm! Nobody knew who I was. I even had my bespectacled self show up at the café one day at the usual hour, and one of the waitresses asked where my other self was, since I had made it my habit to show up without the glasses and with the different hairstyle at about the same time everyday."  
  
"Wow!" Lana marveled. "It's amazing how well it works even now. I never would've guessed had I never spoken to Arthur, and yet now it seems so obvious."  
  
"I know!" Clark marveled with her. "Anyway, this went on for a semester. Just before I was to turn in my paper on the results of this experiment, there was a situation where I had to use my powers to help someone. I don't remember exactly what it was, but the person turned out to be a student who had transferred here to Met-U for the spring semester. We'd talked a lot in the hall, but I had my glasses on then. He marveled at my strength, but he didn't recognize me. It was then that I realized that I could really use this dual identity trick!"  
  
"If only that professor knew that he inspired Superman!" Chloe speculated in wonderment.  
  
Clark continued. "I decided to keep the glasses. I told everyone I had some sort of eye disease. At the end of the spring semester, I found a piece of my spaceship I had never seen, and let's just say it taught me a lot about my Kryptonian family and heritage. It showed me my biological family's...coat-of-arms, if you will,...which I now wear on my chest."  
  
"I always wondered where that symbol came from!" said Pete.  
  
Clark grinned in amusement. "Anyway, I'd been using my glassless altar-ego to help people in accidents or stop crime for a while by then. I did whatever I could, whenever I could. I'd just duck into a private alley corner or something, take my glasses off, brush my hair back, and go into action. I was careful around people I had known since the start of college for two years so that they could forget what the me they saw on campus looked like without the glasses. But the system worked really well. As graduation approached, I even began to refine my disguise. I deepened my voice a little when I was without the glasses and took on a rather bookish, mild-mannered persona when I was wearing them."  
  
"Get to the costume!" Chloe urged impatiently.  
  
Clark chuckled. "My parents were a little leary of the whole secret identity system at first, but once they saw how well it worked, they were happy that I had found a way to do what I'd always wanted to do with my abilities without so much restraint and fear of being seen. I still had to be cautious, but I had more freedom than I did before."  
  
"Go on!" Lana implored him, intrigued.  
  
"I guess I have to go back to a bet I made with some frat buddies. I lost, and the loser had to do a gig as an elf for the local mall Santa Claus."  
  
Lana giggled at the mental image of Clark in an elf costume. It was so cute!  
  
"Not funny," Clark said, smiling despite himself. "Anyway, the main part of the costume was this deep blue body suit with this red codpiece and red boots and a yellow belt. Much to my embarrassment, Mom dug this thing up at the end of my senior year. I had already been talking vaguely about a costume, but nothing definite yet. But, I had shown Mom and Dad my Kryptonian family's symbol and everything," Clark intercepted his monologue with a chuckle, "and I think Mom had a little too much free time on her hands that day. She told me later that inspiration had struck her, and she had just taken to the sewing machine!"  
  
Chloe giggled.  
  
"Anyway, I come home with my degree after graduation, and Mom hands me this creation of hers! I was pleasantly surprised, to say the least. I thought it looked a little corny, but when she convinced me to try it on, I saw that it had a weird sort of dignity to it."  
  
Pete chuckled and stood up. "And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the story of Superman!"  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I apologize to any anxious readers that I haven't updated in ages, but inspiration just didn't hit me in regards to this story for a long time. However, Smallville did inspire my second novel, which is progressing very well. It is posted on Fanfiction.net under Comics Superman. I think it has a little something for Smallville fans as well as general Superman fans, though it is not based on the Smallville timeline. I have gotten some very encouraging feedback in the mere two reviews I've received, but reviews are surprisingly slow in coming. So, those of you who enjoyed this sample of my writing, please take the time to read, hopefully enjoy, and review "The Kent Family Secret" by Jeune Ecrivain. I think I can promise with relative safety that it's worth your while. Part I is nearing completion. I hate to beg, but if it comes to that, I wouldn't put it past myself. Warning to Fanatic CLana Fans: As much as I would like Clark and Lana to be together forever, in a reluctant nod to Superman reality, "The Kent Family Secret" is a CLois. However, any fanfic I write specifically for Smallville will always be CLana. We can still dream. 


	5. Part V: A Whole New World songfic

Confessions of a Superman  
  
By Jeune Ecrivain  
  
Rating: G, maybe PG  
  
Genre: futurefic, drama, romance  
  
Summary: When Superman comes up in conversation, 25-year-old Lana Lang gets the biggest clue of her life. This final chapter is a songfic chapter using a Disney classic: "A Whole New World" from Aladdin. In your mind's ear, feel free to hear it as performed by Aladdin and Jasmine in the movie or as performed by LMNT on the Disney Mania 2 CD.  
  
Disclaimer: A quick reminder that I do not own Smallville nor do I own this lovely song which was probably written by Alan Menken. I am using this song purely for this fanfiction, written without aim at profit and solely for entertainment purposes.  
  
PART V  
  
Clark, Lana, Pete, and Chloe talked for hours before the latter two finally decided that they'd better go home. Clark asked Lana to stay for dinner almost like the blushing farmboy he had once been, and Lana had accepted without hesitation.  
  
After a pleasant meal of spaghetti and meatballs (Lana was very impressed with Clark's improved cooking), they took a moment to revel in the day's startling developments.  
  
"When are you going to call your parents and tell them that I'm in on the secret after all these years?" asked Lana in idle interest.  
  
Clark grinned sheepishly. "I dunno. I'm a little nervous. It'll take my dad a while to get used to it." His grin turned mischievous. "You know what you oughta do? You oughta just drop by the farm, make small talk for a while, then just make some casual reference to my being Superman. And then, just enjoy the looks on their faces!"  
  
Lana raised her eyebrows. "Clark Kent has a sneaky side! Who'd'a thunk?"  
  
Clark smiled, genuinely happy to see the air between him and Lana finally cleared after years of reluctant lies and deception. Suddenly, if he had been a cartoon character, a light bulb would've appeared over his head. "Hey..."  
  
"What?"  
  
Clark stood up and offered his hand. Curious, Lana took it and let him lead her out of the kitchen, down the hall, into his bedroom, and out to the balcony of his apartment.  
  
"Close your eyes," Clark commanded gently.  
  
Lana gave him a what-are-you-up-to look. Clark just nodded. Smiling suspiciously at him, Lana closed her eyes slowly.  
  
Clark changed into Superman once more in a few seconds and stepped behind her, turning her to face out into the night sky. He could've sworn he heard the softest moan escape Lana's lips as he gripped her waist firmly from behind. Resting his chin on her shoulder, he made her shiver as he whispered in her ear, "Lana?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"You trust me, right?"  
  
"Of course," she replied softly.  
  
Superman smiled, mischief playing at his lips. "Okay, then. Lana..."  
  
"Yeah?" she responded, her voice almost a whisper.  
  
As gently and as smoothly as he could, Clark lifted off the balcony floor, rising into the air slowly but surely. "What was your favorite Disney movie when you were a little girl?"  
  
"Peter Pan," Lana answered. Clark grinned as he watched Lana's expression change, a sign that she had caught on. Her eyes flew open, which was Clark's cue to swiftly shift both their bodies into a more horizontal position and take off into the open night sky!  
  
"Oh, God!" Lana squeaked, gripping Clark as tight as she could as she saw the floor disappear and give way to open air and a very intimidating view of beetle-sized cars on highways that looked more like gray ribbons.  
  
"Shh," Clark sushed gently. "Don't look down. Look up and ahead."  
  
Nervously, Lana turned her head upwards.  
  
_I can show you the world, _

_Shining, shimmering, splendid.  
_

Slowly, Lana's expression changed to one of wonder, and a grin finally spread across her face.  
  
_Tell me, Princess, _

_Now when did you last Let your heart decide?  
_

Clark smiled at Lana's pleasure and bewilderment as he felt her grip on him relax slightly.  
  
_I can open your eyes, _

_Take you wonder by wonder, _

_Over, sideways, and under _

_On a magic carpet ride!  
_  
  
Superman accelerated and took Lana higher into the starry heavens. He then slowed down a little and began following a long, curved path around the highlights of Metropolis, sharing the beautiful, exotic view of the stars in the sky as well as the many lights from the skyscrapers and night-bathed landmarks of the city. Lana's eyes began to wander all around her range of vision, reveling in the thrilling new perspective of an urban center in all its nocturnal glory, the beauty overwhelming her.  
  
_A whole new world, _

_A new fantastic point of view. _

_No one to tell us no, _

_Or where to go, _

_Or say we're only dreaming.  
_

Clark extended his arms out from under him, giving Lana more freedom while still keeping a secure grip about her waist. She instinctively extended her arms to full length to either side, reenacting the animated classic she had named a few moments ago!  
  
_A whole new world, _

_A dazzling place I never knew. _

_But when I'm way up here, _

_It's crystal clear _

_That now I'm in a whole new world _

_With you! _

_(Now I'm in a whole new world with you...)  
  
_Clark suddenly drew Lana close to him and shot up through a hovering cloud, letting Lana feel the strange sensation of airborne and somehow subtle moisture touch her skin. Lana laughed happily as she and Superman emerged from the cloud to see even more stars!  
  
_Unbelievable sights, _

_Indescribable feelings, _

_Soaring, tumbling, freewheeling _

_Through an endless diamond sky!  
  
_  
Fueled by Lana's giggles, Superman accelerated and zigzagged across the starry sky above the clouds, dipping and peaking every now and again to give her an extra thrill!  
  
_  
A whole new world, _

_(Don't you dare close your eyes!) _

_A hundred thousand things to see. _

_(Hold your breath. It gets better!)_

_ I'm like a shooting star!_

_ I've come so far! _

_I can't go back to where I used to be.  
  
_

Lana sighed contentedly, which told Clark it was time to spice things up. Superman dived back down through the clouds and brought her to an even lower altitude than their initial height. "This is what I call low- flying," he whispered in her ear as they soared just a few feet above the tallest traffic lights, weaving and swerving gracefully among the buildings.  
  
_A whole new world, _

_(Every turn a surprise) _

_With new horizons to pursue. _

_(Every moment red letter) _

_I'll take them anywhere _

_With time to spare. _

_Let me share this whole new world with you.  
_  
  
His expression turning into a gentle smile, Superman shifted smoothly into a more vertical position and, with an equally gentle swiftness, turned Lana's body around so he could look into her eyes, bringing her palms against his muscular chest. Their eyes met and stayed there, Lana's arms instinctively falling around his neck. Hovering almost as if to soft dance music, they inched their way back to the balcony.  
  
_A whole new world, _

_(A whole new world) _

_That's where we'll be. _

_(That's where we'll be)  
_  
  
Clark and Lana now hovered over the balcony, both lost in the moment and spinning slowly in mid-air.  
  
_A thrilling chase, _

_A wondrous place _

_For you and me.  
_  
  
Just as their feet finally struck the floor, their lips came together and initiated a gentle yet passionate kiss, the first in years.


End file.
